Designers: Felipe Rio Branco Team: Natalia Schmidt, Fernanda Lima and Marcella Nusman Photographs: Luiz de Oliveira
The project conceived for this apartment took into consideration the identity of its owners, a young couple with open spirit, looking for a dwelling place where they could fulfill their dreams, associated to the special local features. The idea of seeking to enlarge the space both dynamically and with versatility, something which is continuously seen in our present culture and society, allowed us to use elements that emphasized this aim, through the research of materials that enable this principle and also stressing out the ideas conceived to structure ambiences. In the social area, with the coexisting areas, our aim was to use a continuous element, represented by a wooden panel integrating the diverse ambiences, in order to lay emphasis on such a concept. It bears a sliding panel that allows integration with another room, the TV room/reversible room, with a hybrid characteristic in the project, allowing it to face the social space, or maintain itself secluded within the private area of the residential unit. Another interesting element that seeks its perpetuation throughout ambiences are streaks of indirect lighting, acting as actual light levels, delimitating spaces, even when they do not present a physical barrier that limits them. As of this multiple possibility of articulations among ambiences, this project allows a diversity of structures with special significance on the idea that elements shall act as connectors and filters between areas, always taking into account the features of materials used, associated to the idea of a discreet, but identity bearing lighting, emphasizing elements such as the living room continuous wooden panel spreading itself to the TV room, the mobile blinds of the foyer, or the masonry bookshelf made with niches of the living room. Thus, the spatial architecture of the project acts as a setting in which the furniture and design objects chosen shall complement the visual effect which are felt as pleasant and unique in this project. This sobriety obviously results from the localization of the residence, in one of the most aristocratic areas of Rio de Janeiro, where the landscape seems to penetrate the apartment and it seems practically impossible to seek to compete with this surround environment.
